Oh my! Why have I not cooked anything from this book before now? There are so many delicious looking recipes in this book! I’m talking about a Farm Journal cookbook, titled “America’s Best Vegetable Recipes”. My copy is a first edition, printed in 1970. My copy is a little worn, by a previous owner, and is missing the jacket and has a worn binding. The pages are a little discolored, but the recipes are legible. Best of all, I picked up this little gem about five years ago at a Half Price Bookstore for $1!

My husband picked the last two heads of cabbage from our garden, so I decided to make the Cabbage Au Gratin recipe with one of the heads of cabbage. I served it with chicken fried steak and green beans and boy was it good! This cabbage dish reminded me a little of a broccoli rice casserole, because of the cheese sauce. It’s probably not the healthiest of veggie dishes, but is truly a comfort food kind of dish. I will definitely be putting this recipe in my card file and making it again. My husband and I think an addition of rice might be good as well, so I might try that next time.

Our spring garden is now planted with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions and squash, so I hope to make more vegetable recipes from this cookbook in the near future. As usual, I made a few changes to the original recipe and the recipe below reflects my changes. Enjoy!

Cabbage Au Gratin

1 large head of cabbage, torn into pieces

1 can condensed cream of celery soup

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup milk

1 8 oz block of Velveeta cheese, cut into pieces

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Cook cabbage in boiling salted water for about 5-7 minutes, or until tender. Drain. While cabbage is cooking, combine soup, celery, milk, cheese, salt, and pepper in a saucepan. Heat until cheese is melted, stirring constantly so that the cheese doesn’t burn. In a bowl, combine cooked cabbage and cheese mixture. Pour mixture into a greased 1 1/2 qt. casserole dish. In a small bowl, toss bread crumbs and butter together, then sprinkle on top of cabbage. Bake at 350F for about 15-20 minutes, or until thoroughly heated. Serves 4-6.